Farmers being ripped off by middlemen due to cash shortages 

Due to the ongoing cash crisis, rural farmers are at the mercy of cash cash-rich middlemen who are buying maize at well below the market value. These middlemen are buying up the maize for as little as $140 per tonne which is well below the Government recommended price of $390 per tonne. The middlemen then sell the maize to the Grain Marketing Board for more than 100 percent profit.

The government is urging farmers to sell their maize only to the Grain Marketing Board, but farmers shun the GMB due to problems in getting paid and beauracracy involved.

More: Herald